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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · cap · sharp · wake · patient · band · hand · season

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. band — a ring
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wake — a trail
  8. band — a music group
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. hand — in cards
  19. season — of the year
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cap — of ice
  22. season — in sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. band — a rubber band

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com